1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to climbing equipment and to a climbing method for the construction of buildings, even for buildings of particular height extension, such as skyscrapers or high-rise blocks.
In particular, the present invention relates to self-climbing equipment for the construction of a building and to a climbing method.
More in particular, the present invention relates to climbing equipment for the construction of buildings preferably having a steel supporting structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Equipment for the construction of buildings, even of considerable height, e.g. skyscrapers or high-rise blocks, are known, comprising at least one scaffold which by resting on the ground or on the building base extends over the entire height of the building under construction. Scaffold solutions anchored to portions of the building under construction are also known. Solutions of this type are invasive and require long times to construct a height increase of the scaffold as the building under construction increases in height.
For example, document JP-H-0776934-A shows a steel skeleton adapted to hang from the structure of a skyscraper under construction, comprising a winch, adapted to cooperate with a crane for lifting building materials and deliver them to the level of the floor to be built. This solution requires the steel skeleton to be hung at a much higher level than the level of the floor to be built.
Equipment is also known for the construction of buildings, comprising a scaffold and a scaffold ascent system, adapted to climb up the building under construction. For example, Korean patent No. KR-100862275-B1 shows a scaffold for the construction of skyscrapers comprising a scaffold ascent system with respect to the building under construction comprising a screw actuator.
Although this solution is partially advantageous, it however requires to embed anchoring pins within the material of the wall of the building under construction, e.g. made of concrete, and thus requires to wait for the construction material to solidify for the scaffold to ascend safely, thus imposing long waits before safely ascending the scaffold.
For example, European patent No. EP-2365159-B1 shows ascending equipment for the construction of buildings comprising a scaffold adapted to climb up the building under construction. The scaffold comprises at least one pair of anchors which are screwed to at least two floors of the building arranged at different heights, so as to allow the sliding of the scaffold with respect to guide rings connected to the anchors. A jack moves the scaffold upwards. A platform projects like a cantilever from the movable scaffold outwards, i.e. in an opposite direction with respect to the extension of the pair of anchors. However, the solution described above requires to spend time to screw the anchors to the upper floors of the building under construction. Furthermore, including a platform which projects like a cantilever from the movable scaffold towards the opposite side with respect to the side of the anchors to the building under construction offers neither satisfactory safety for operators nor sufficient protection from the danger of falling objects or construction materials.
For example, document US-2015-101887-A1 shows a lifting device of a movable scaffold which comprises a jack which is anchored to the building under construction and pushes the scaffold upwards. A solution of this type requires to anchor and free the jack to and from the building under construction to allow the scaffold to ascend as new floors of the building under construction are constructed. Further examples of equipment for the construction of buildings are known from documents KR-2013-0077176-A and JP-2002-194893-A.
For example, document NL-8004572-A shows a telescopically extensible scaffolding system for curved walled towers made of reinforced concrete, in which brackets are embedded in the concrete of the tower to serve as support for the scaffolding system. This solution requires a laborious preparation and a slow telescopic extension process of the scaffolding system which must be fixed by means of pins to the brackets embedded in the concrete of the tower.
For example, document JP-H07-89491-A shows a scaffolding system which entirely surrounds a previously built floor of a building and comprises a telescopic moving system.
The aforesaid solutions do not provide adequate protection for operators and at the same time fail in preventing the falling of equipment and debris from the scaffolding in a satisfactory manner. At the same time, the mentioned solutions require long moving times of the scaffolding in vertical or subvertical direction and thus impose long waits before making even only part of the building usable.
The need is thus felt to provide climbing equipment and a climbing method for the construction of buildings, even for buildings of particular height extension, such as skyscrapers or high-rise blocks, capable of avoiding the drawbacks of the prior art.